No one here said that you are the worst person in the world; Bandit's Cousin was only stating that IF you had a conviction for possessing child pornography, or any other type of sex crime, drug offense, theft, or violent crime then you have almost NO chance of getting a driving job. Just recently, we have had felons, including sex offenders come here to inquire about getting into trucking. And, if my memory is serving me correctly, a number of them in fact, posted with the cap locks on!!

You will be ineligible for a Haz-Mat certification, and you absolutely will not be allowed to enter Canada.

The reality here is very harsh. This is not an industry where anyone is going to be gentle with your feelings. That's just the way it is!!

One idea; you might call around to some garbage or trash hauling companies; no, it isn't glamorous work, but some of them do offer somewhat decent pay!! I live just North of San Antonio, Tx., where wages for blue collar workers have long been suppressed. Many local driving jobs pay $9.00/hr. or less.

Now, I just recently sold a small home to a garbage hauler who, infact, is a felon, and he did serve time in prison. He is bringing down about $13.00/hr, and works about 55 to 60 hrs. per week. Because I'm carrying the note, I made sure to verify his employment and pay stubs. For San Antonio, that is good money for what is considered here to be unskilled labor.

Wouldn't hurt to do some checking there!!

 

Pepsiman,

You keep referring to a "Charge." There is a definite difference between a "charge" and a "conviction." Which is it?

If its a conviction, it would appear you might be minimizing the significance by calling it a charge.

While a trucking company is not likely to hire you with an outstanding adjudicated felony charge, if you were to be found not guilty, your record would be clear and would be eligible for hire.

 

Garrrrrr! There are worse things in life.



They only ask if you've been convicted on applications.
But...it's not the end of the world. Talk to O/O's and small family run outfits. They are on a more personal level with their Driver's. I don't know what "Outlaw" outfits these guy's are talking about? Non-union? Not a big-ass National Co.? Now that is a criminal attitude... :lol:

You will be stuck with the Felon title rest of your life...if you have been convicted...so...this is something you will have to contend with. Just don't let it get to you. Thing is...and you are right...we all are capable of doing something we will regret, and it can happen easier than one may expect.

Forget the justifying, or sniveling about what happened. You will come across better if you just keep it simple and don't discuss every detail. The little you talk to people about it...the better for...they will already be predispositioned. It's a respect thing....for yourself.

 

they dont need you to explain the "CIRCUMSTANCES" you did that to a jury of your peers and they didnt believe you! why should a company waste their time? ( or you took a deal there for admitting your guilt)

 

I don't have squueky clean record, so I feel for you.

 

"Outlaw Operations" are considered to be "Outlaws" because they have a tendency to require that their drivers operate within a spectrum that is, in fact, outside of the parameters of the law.

They require their drivers to exceed legal hours of operation, and many of them, but not all of them, operate very substandard equipment, and employ convicted felons because they pay abysmally low wages, frequently offering no benefits.

This is not always the case, but is all too common. I know of one outlaw operation that hauls cars; they operate good equipment, and pay fairly well, but their trucks are 83ft. in length, they sometimes require their drivers to operate in states where they are not permitted to operate, they run very tight schedules which do not allow their drivers to shut down for a full 10 hrs., and they require them to exceed their 70hr. limits.

The upside?? They do operate good, well maintained equipment, and their drivers make a fairly decent wage. I have an old high school buddy who used to drive for them, and he made a very ggod living; he also ran illegal as hell, and knew when to take tha backroads in order to avoid the chicken houses. He paid quite a few fines for quite a few log book violations as well!!

So, "Outlaw" does not simply mean a non-union company, or a company that is smaller than the mega-carriers.

 

My definition of "outlaw" company is usually a smaller outfit that hires anybody and their brother. Benfits may not be there, but a job for someone who can't be hired anywhere may be

 

My advice to you pepsiman is forget about trucking, you'll make peanuts anyhow. Go learn a trade that will make your wallet fat, like window film, granite countertops, tile setting, any thing to do with the home. Go be a helper for a year or two and then go out on your own. I work in folks homes everday, make good money, and they could care less if I've ever had a felony. When one door slams on you in life, another door of opportunity is opening somewhere.

 

You might find something driving a dump truck. As was stated, most carriers won't hire a convicted felon for about 10 years from the conviction. If you go to the company listings on this forum, most of the larger carriers have their basic requirements listed, which will give you an idea of what you are up against. Depending on the charge, there may be some who will look at the conviction differently. If it is drug related, then it will be extremely difficult to get a foot in the door. If you live in California, they had a program to get convicted felons into trucking. I don't know much about the program or if they are still doing it. There may be other states who have similar programs. You can turn your life around. It may just take a different turn than you expect. Everything happens for a purpose. Good luck.

 

Talk to your lawyer about an expungement of the charge from your record then it never happened. Seriuos felonies are not eligible for this but minor felonie will qualify. (well at least in NC they do). Takes 2-4 months.